5 Gyres - Understanding Plastic Pollution Through Exploration, Education, and Action

Last week I had a chance to catch up with Nicole Bassett who I've been trying to catch up with for over a year. When talking about 5 Gyres mission to foment change towards a zero waste world with our corporate partners, I would hear Nicole's name dropped over and over again by colleagues--- "You have GOT to meet Nicole," they'd say. Well, we finally chatted, and sure enough, it was enviro dork power in session. 5 Gyres has been working hard in the realm of researching the world's plastic pollution problems in the ocean, educating the global citizen on solutions to the problem, and grassroots organizing around policies to curb the use of single-use plastics.  But now, we're working to learn how to scale CSR (corporate social responsibility) practices that reduce or eliminate unnecessary plastics from our partners supply chains.  

Nicole's work is inspiring and she's a great case study for change. I think people often feel overwhelmed and worried, thinking, 'what can I, by myself, do.'  Well, here's a start--  Be like Nicole. Be a person who gets interested in learning how to solve a problem with patience and grace, and start speaking up. At first, Nicole thought the task of eliminating the significant amount of prAna's plastic footprint would be difficult.  But she rose to the challenge.

What's at issue, which few people realize, is that every piece of apparel you see on hangers in your favorite outdoor store or department store comes from its manufacturing country individually wrapped in poly bags. And with recycling rates for poly films so low it's laughable, the best course of action is to eliminate them in the first place. It's ironic, even--- Yep, your recycled PET fleece comes wrapped in virgin plastic. 

prAna, who is known to be an exceptionally conscious company with regard to the environment listend to Nicole's recommendations and guess what? By implementing her concepts, prAna saved money and cut out an INCREDIBLE amount of plastic. Check the video below about how Nicole's work culminated in prAna's success story.  Good job Nicole, and fine work prAna. We love you both over here at 5 Gyres HQ.